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Virginia is for Bloggers Who Brunch

The wonderful Sarah of The Smart Kitchen organized a #VAis4Bloggers meetup this Sunday and I was so happy to attend. Ever since Sarah moved back to nearby Charlottesville from Austin, TX, she has been organizing meetups, planning field trips, and even doing her own cooking demos at Whole Foods. One of the things I love about Sarah is that she always reminds me why I started blogging in the first place. For me, the two best things about writing a food blog are learning about and trying new foods and participating in the food blogger community. There are so many enthusiastic, like-minded individuals who create in this space. I love meeting up with others who write about food to swap stories, share ideas, and enjoy a good meal. So thank you Sarah for getting us all together in RVA this Sunday!

My lovely fellow diners were Gabby, (Gabby’s Gluten-Free), Liz (I ❤ Vegetables), Alexa (a visiting friend and photographer), Adrienne (hippie itch), Sarah (The Smart Kitchen), and Brittany (Eating Bird Food). We met up at Selba for a late brunch. I had visited for dinner a few months ago and had been meaning to go back so I was happy I got the opportunity to try out their brunch menu. There were a lot of creative and tasty looking dishes, and they had vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options on the menu. Check out Selba’s brunch menu here: Brunch.

I had the hardest time choosing between the raisin spelt French toast and the local egg omelet. Those who have brunch with me often can probably guess what I went with. I seem to always waffle (ha) between French toast, waffles or pancakes and egg dishes at brunch, but I always go for the eggs. I’m just a savory breakfast kind of person, I suppose. I had an egg white omelet with Dave and Dee’s oyster mushrooms, goat cheese and arugula. The omelet comes with two sides and I chose the rosemary roasted potatoes and a sweet potato biscuit. Much like how George Washington could not tell a lie, I cannot turn down a potato. Starch is a virtue.

I didn’t touch the strawberry. It looked pretty but I just knew that I would be disappointed. Nothing can compare to a fresh, local, sun-warmed strawberry. In my book, imposters may garnish but they will do no more.

The omelet had the right proportion of mushrooms to greens to cheese, and it was refreshing to have a perfectly folded non-greasy omelet that filled the plate without overwhelming it. I am not too ashamed to admit it, my usual brunch fare is sloppy, oversize, and accompanied by a big, spicy, make-your-own bloody mary. This was a nice, civilized change. The potatoes were really delicious and filling. The biscuit was crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, so that when a knife cut into it, the biscuit immediately yielded and collapsed in the middle. I could stand to have a few more biscuits like that in my life.

Speaking of glorious baked goods, Liz was so nice to bring us homemade treats! She found these raspberry cheesecake cookies on Pinterest and made some to share. I ran errands after brunch and this cookie provided a sweet snack after stops at Ellwood Thompson’s and Lowe’s. Poor thing never stood a chance at making it back home.

I had a great time and I am looking forward to more VAis4Bloggers events in the future. Any ideas where we should go next?

Great recap of the brunch lady. You did a much better job of describing the omelet and sides than I will (if I ever get around to blogging about it). I’m such a bad blogger right now. Wedding plan and life are kind of taking over.

I know all about wedding planning and life cutting into blogging time, but I think you’re still doing a great job! When things get crazy and I am so busy that I have to choose, I always pick living life over writing about it. 🙂